Rivet-finishing tool



- April 10, 1928.

B. NEILL RIVET FINISHING TOOL inal Filed March 24, 1925 IN V EN T OR By?TRAM Nev/.2.

.4 TTORNE Y Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERTRAM NEILL, OF BORGER, TEXAS.

RIVET-FINISHING TOOL.

Application filed March 24, 1925, Serial No. 17,898. Renewed August 25,1927.

This invention relates to a tool designed to be employed in combinationwith a pneumatic rivet calking machine for finishing or calking theheads of rivets after their formation.

In heading rivets of boilers, sheet metal tanks, and other metalstructures in which parts are riveted to each other, the rivet heads donot always tightly engage the surface of the metal plate in which theyare mounted, thereby causing leaky joints. Moreover frequently theriveters by an unequal application of power of the riveting machine formcircular heads thatare not concentric with the cylindrical shanks, and

as a result a small portion of the holes in the metal sheet areuncovered. It has been the custom in view of the above to employ a handtool to go over the finished rivet heads to calk or tighten the same,and freuently this fails to accomplish the desired tightening.

By means of the tool herein illustrated and described, rivet heads maybe effectually tightened to their plates after their formation by theusual rlveting machines, and defective rivet heads that do not fullycover the rivet holes can be straightened to form a tight joint withoutthe necessity of replacing the defective rivet. Further by means of thistool an operator may start adjacent the apex of a conical rivet head andbring the stock down to the metal sheet and towards the shank of therivet to tighten its circumferential edge in relation to the platesurface. Moreover the tool may be efiectively employed in calking rivetheads mounted in flanges with less difiiculty than 1n hand tighteningoperations.

Broadly the invention resides in a simple manually operatedtoolconsisting of a frame provided with an adjustablemeans for holdingthe tool in operative relation to a rivet head, a pair of impact membersoppositely disposed within the frame and adapted to deliver a successionof rapid blows to the rivet heads at diametrically opposite points,whereby to effectively and uniformly tighten the heads to the plates inwhich they are secured, the shank portion of the frame being providedwith a reciprocating plunger adapted to be operated by the hammer memberof a pneumatic rivet calking machine for actuating the impact members.

The specific features of the invention will be readily understood fromthe following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the rivet finishing tool applied inoperative relation to a rivet head, the tool being shown in connectionwith a rivet calking machine.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with a part of the casing frame removed, andpartly in section.

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the tool, with a part of the frameremoved there from, showing the method of forming the tool centeringdepression in a rivet head.

Fig. 4; is a transverse section of the tool taken on line 1 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, illustratingthe mechanism in operative relation for forming the centering punch inthe rivet head.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to the above showing the centering punchmechanism in an inoperative position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the outer port-ion of one of the rivetimpacting members.

In the drawings, 10 designatesthe frame of the tool, preferablyconsisting of a pair of complemental cast metalmembers 11, 12,

each provided adjacent their side edges with curved grooves 13, 14, thegrooves in each member registering when the members are securedtogether, and are substantially square in cross section. The shank 15 ofeach member is semi-cylindrical in form and provided with alongitudinally extending bearing cavity 16, semi-circular in crosssection. Each member is also'provided with a centrally disposedlongitudinallv extendino bearin 16 and av transversely disposed slot 17extending across the bearing. the slots of each member registering whenthe same are bolted or otherwise secured together.

Mounted in the curved grooves of members 11, 12, are a pair of curvedimpact members 18, 19. their outer ends 20 being concaved (see Fig. 7.)in order that they may closely engage the CQIIVQXQd surfaces of therivets when applied thereto, their inner ends bein squared in order thatthe blow delivered by the tool hammer thereagainst will be uniform.

Disposed Within the bearing cavity of the shank of the tool is acylindrical shaft 21,

provided on the outer end thereof with a flat hammer head 22, the sideedges 23 being angular and normally engaging'the squared ends of theimpact members 18, 19. As the width of head 22 is greater than thediameter of the hammer shaft, the walls of the shank adjacent the innerend are cut away as at 2 1 to provide for its movement on areciprocation. Surrounding that portion of the shaft 21 is a coiledspring 25 bearing against the end of the shank and a collar 26 securedto the shaft.

Disposed within the centrally disposed hearing cavities 16 formed in theoppositely disposed faces of members 11, 12, is a rivetengagingcentering shaft 27, threaded on its inner end for the reception of a circular adjusting nut 28, that disposed-in the transverse slots 17 of theframe meinhers. The threaded end of shaft 27 is provided with a.transversely disposed pin 29, its ends extending into longitudinallyextending guide slots 39 that extend inwardly from the adjusting nutslots 17, thereby permitting of a reciprocation of said shaft on arotation of the adjusting nut.

In order that the shaft 27 may be 1naintained in an adjusted positionduring the operation of the rivet finishing tool, a spring operatedlatching mechanism is provided, preferably consisting of a dog 30mounted in a transversely extending recess 31 formed in the outer faceof frame member 11, a coiledv spring 32 normally forcing the serratedend of the dog 30 into engagement with the serrated periphery of theadjust ing nut, see Fig. 4. The outer end of shaft 27 is provided with aconical recess 33 adapted to engage the apex of the conicalrivet headwhen applied thereto. holding the tool firmly in pivotal engagement withthe rivet head during the operation of the tool.

In the case of semi-spherical headed rivets as shown in Fig. 3, a.centering shaft 35 having a conicalpoint is employed, that engages arecess 36 formed in the head of the semispherical rivet.

The recess 36 in the seini-s iherical rivet heads is preferably formedby means of the pointed centering shaft 35, a movable abutment mechanismbeing employed. This mechanism preferably consists of a shaft 37,provided with a head 38, and a rectangular abutment 39 formed on thelower end thereof, a fiat transversely disposed spring 1O having itsslotted ends secured to the upper surface of frame member 12, engagingthe shaft 37 and holding the abutment 39 in an operative or inoperativeposition as clearly shownin Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. In operationthe abutment member is pushed downwardly through an aperture 11 formedin frame member 12, until the head 38 is disposed between the inner endof the shaft 35, and. the pointed head of the hammer 23,

tive position to form the centering recess 36 in the rivet head, thehammer member 22 cannotcontac-t with the ends of the impact members 18,19, to opperate the same.

The operation of the rivet finishing tool will be readily understoodfrom the follow ing. The outer end of shat 21 is inserted in thecylindrical bore 15, formed in the outer end of a pneumatic rivetoalking machine to, the machine hammer 4-7 contacting therewith.Centering shaft 21' is then placed against the conical end of the rivet,see Fig. 1, and the pneumatic rivet calking machine is then set inoperation, the blows of its hammer, -17 being imparted tothe impactmembers through the medium of theshaft 21 carrying the hammer head 23,and as said members are oppositely disposed the blows delivered to therivet head will be absolutely uniform.

It will be understood that in a finishing operation the impact members18, 19, are adjusted so that they engage the conical surface of therivet head intermediate its base and apex, see Fig. 1, the shaft 27being retracted and the tool rotated during the operation until theimpact members finally engage the circular edge of the rivet head toform the annular head 48,, see Fig. 2, this adjustment of the impactmembers forcing the stock of the head downwardly towards its base andforming a leak proof joint. Shank 15 of the toolis provided with acylindrical sleeve i9, knurled on its outer surface to furnish a handhold for the machine opera-tor.

From the above it will be apparent that I have produced a comparativelysimple tool that will eiiiciently perform the finishing operations onrivet heads, effectually sealing them in lealcproof engagement withtheir metal plates,.and in the case of rivet heads that are not formedconcentric with. their bodies, or whichare tilted slightly, astherivethead shown in Fig. 1, the tool will readily correct suchimperfections. Further the finishing tool will complete the finalfinishing operation on rivet heads in less time than required in handfinishing operations.

.VVhat I claim is:

'1. A rivet finishing tool comprising a frame provided with groovedguideways, a pair of reciprocable impact members mounted in saidguideways adapted to contact with the surface of a rivet bead, and meansto actuate said. members.

2. A rivet finishing tool comprising a frame provided with groovedguideways, a pair of oppositely disposed reciprocable impact membersmounted in said guideways adapted to contact with the surface of a rivethead, and means to actuate said members.

3. A rivet head finishing tool comprising a frame provided with a pairof oppositely disposed grooved guideways, a pair of reciprocable impactmembers mounted in said guideways, their outer ends adapted to contactwith the surface of a rivet head, and means to deliver blowsintermittently against the inner ends of said impact members.

4. A rivet head finishing tool comprising a frame provided with a pairof oppositely disposed grooved guideways, a pair of reciprocable impactmembers mounted in the guideways of said frame, their outer ends adaptedto engage a rivet head, a centering shaft adjustably mounted in saidframe for pivotally engaging a rivet head, a hammer member disposed insaid frame for intermittently delivering blows to the impact members onan operation of the tool, and means to reciprocate the hammer member.

5. A. rivet finishing tool comprising a frame provided with a pair ofoppositely disposed curved guideways, a pair of reciprocable. impactmembers mounted in said guideways, adjustable means mounted on saidframe for maintaining the tool in pivotal engagement with the rivet headduring its operation, and means to actuate the impact membersintermittently.

6. A rivet finishing tool comprising a casing, a pair of rivet headimpacting members loosely mounted therein, said members being oppositelydisposed, an adjustable shaft mounted on the casing between said membersfor pivotally engaging a rivet head to hold the tool in position duringthe operation of the impact members on the rivet head, and meansconnected to said casing and engaging the impact members to actu ate thesame.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 16th day of March, 1925.

BERTRAM NEILL.

